The news had been brewing for a couple of months, and it now seems official: Sonos won’t be overturning its decision to end support to its "unique" (its own words), much-loved CR100 controller.
The first of its kind to be introduced under the Sonos name, the CR100 may not be the most attractive piece of kit to look at but it is still functional, and has cemented a place in the hearts of many users and Sonos installers since its launch. Back before you controlled your Sonos with your smartphone, tablet or even voice (aka 2005), users would use the CR100 remote.
So the news to effectively “brick” the controllers by early April – citing potential fears about the device’s lithium ion battery overheating and the controller no longer being able to “support many of the services and functions that are core to the Sonos experience" – has not gone down well.
Since Sonos informed CR100 owners about the news, many users have voiced their disagreement with the decision to cut support to the unit, with one telling HiddenWires that they they feel “heinously wronged” by the move.
To try and make up for the decision Sonos says it is showing its “appreciation for [customer] loyalty” by offering a £100 off the next Sonos purchase for owners of CR100 controllers, but some say this is not enough, as they are left with the option of ignoring future Sonos updates to still use the products whilst they can.
The manufacturer’s community forum is also abuzz with criticism of the move, with a thread expressing disappointment at the move created 29 days ago racking up a huge 1205 replies to date. A Sonos representative has since directly replied advising that either accepting the upgrade or ignoring future upgrades (although Sonos “does not recommend” this option) are only two options for disgruntled CR100 owners.